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I've always thought there would be a great routine for a Southern comic like Jeff Foxworthy to do. It would go something like:

So you forgot your Anniversary, and you're in the doghouse with your wife. Well, fellas, your wife is always waiting for you to say those three little words -- those three little words that can make it all better, make her remember why she married you. So just put your arms around her, put your lips to her ear and say: "Hot Doughnuts Now?"

Ok, that probably explains both why I'm not a comedian and why I'm not married, but still Krispy Kreme is kind of woven into the fabric of the South, such that the brand's troubles of the last few years have had me worried that the over-expansion to new areas might bring on a collapse in the heartland.

That made me a bit nervous when I started seeing hits on the blog from people searching on various keyword combinations of "Krispy Kreme Columbia closing", but when I went over there last week, everything seemed fine. There were no signs up warning of anything, and late evening business was very brisk.

Then I saw the comment this morning from Kenneth that the Knox Abbott location was in fact closed, followed by a comment from Rebecca saying

I picked up a flier for Krispy Kreme in Cayce that said they were closing for remodeling on Feb. 22nd. When they reopen they will serve Kool Kreme which looks like soft serve ice cream from the logo. It also mentions a “mobile unit” that will sell doughnuts outside during the remodel.

I don't know why I didn't see any fliers last week, but when I drove over there today, I was quite reassured: There were actually plenty of guys working on the remodel. Often a"closed for remodeling" sign is just hopeful wish, but in this case it seems to be the real deal.

Of course, this location was remodeled fairly recently -- within the last ten years, I think, and it was not an improvement. The old setup had nice padded booths for seating, and I could sit by the east window with my doughnuts and coffee and watch the Jiffy Lube to see if they had pulled my car around yet. They yanked all those out and replaced them with a bunch of really uncomfortable and unsightly industrial tables and chairs.

I'm a bit worried about he Kool Kreme thing Rebecca mentions as well. That makes it sound like they are trying to emulate the Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins co-location concept, which I think would be brand dilution and a big mistake. (Among other reasons, I'll bet they find they're not selling much ice-cream at 11pm and start closing early.)

(Hat tip to commenter Kenneth.)

UPDATE 9 April 2010 -- Well, there is obviously some more cosmetic work to be done to the exterior, but the store is open again, with a new doughnut assembly line and soft ice cream:

Available in Very Vanilla and Deep Chocolate, Kool Kreme soft serve is offered in traditional cones, shakes and sundaes, all paired with a toppings bar. Specialties include the company’s signature doughnut sundaes, which come in chocolate cake, strawberry cake and Original Glazed. The Artic Avalanche combines Kool Kreme with a candy mix-in.

KK should stick with the doughnuts only. It's gonna be a flop all the way around and more trouble than it's worth in such a teeny inside place. And besides.. they arent Baskin-Robins and cant compete with them. I say they should stick with what they do best and NOT get away from what made them famous to begin with.

They need to go back to the KK glazed , with a thin layer of glaze and not the thick frosting of thye last 7 or 8 years. I agree, stick to the donuts!!! Zesto offers the best soft serve icecream and they gey customers in and out FAST.. Not so with the knox abbott drive KK location , when there is a line, you wait and wait..

They need to go back to the KK glazed , with a thin layer of glaze and not the thick frosting of thye last 7 or 8 years. I agree, stick to the donuts!!! Zesto offers the best soft serve icecream and they gey customers in and out FAST.. Not so with the knox abbott drive KK location , when there is a line, you wait and wait..

I agree with the earlier posts. It seems like these decisions that "come down from corporate" defy common sense. The KK in Lexington features the Kool Kreme set-up. I've been going there weekly since they opened. It took a couple of months for them to get into shape but now they seem to have their act together now. The interior design seems modern with a dash retro. Nice for a photo but I dare say I wouldn't feel comfortable in there. There's no view. The location is below street level. I have no idea why they chose that site in Lexington. On the other hand, when I was a kid, I remember the KK on Taylor St. in Cola. being a tiny store. As I recall, it had a kind of funnel entrance. Once thru the front door there was probably 10 sq.ft. of space in front of the counter. I think it was all black & white tile up to the counter, interior & exterior to the sidewalk. This was the early 60s & Mom would reward my patience on her shopping trips, etc. with a box of doughnuts. She told me she used to work there after the war. So, there I would be. All alone with a dozen hot glazed doughnuts in the back seat of '56 Ford headed home. It was always my goal to eat all of them before we got home. Alas, the dreams of youth.

I don't understand the Krispy Kreme strategy in the Columbia area at all. Myrtle Beach has 3 "Hot Doughnuts Now" locations, all of which actually seem to have the sign on more often than the Cayce one. Augusta, which is a noticably smaller city than Columbia has 2 HDN stores.

In Columbia, all we have is Cayce, which is way across the river. I would love to see something in Forest Acres or the Northeast!

For the sake of history, and as my final act on this website this night, I want to offer that the *first* Krispy Kreme in the West Columbia-Cayce area was in the middle of Triangle City, on the west side of Charleston Highway, right across from Zesto. They definitely made their own doughnuts, and the building that presently houses Tri-City Pawn looks pretty much like it could be exactly the same building. It is in the same place. You may think that small, but it was carry-out only, and you could see them cooking the doughnuts just a bit behind the service counter.

Next door to the Krispy Kreme, now the Pet Vac Animal Hospital, that was a Kentucky Fried Chicken. This was 1968-70, and I don't know how long after either businesses would have remained. I was quite small at the time, so I was always accompanied by adults, but I *loved* being able to walk over and buy doughnuts.

Around the corner, there on B Avenue where, according to Google Maps, Cut of Elegance Hair and Nail Salon is, that used to be an amazing place to take your slot cars (i.e. Scalextric) to race or just out for a spin on a HUGE and elaborate set of tracks. I have no idea what the business was called, it was before I could read, only that it was so grand. Once, some poor little boy - certainly "much" older than me, but let's call him closer to 2nd grade age than to 5th - had taken one of the sharp turns entirely too fast, the car flew off the track and crashed and splintered into so many pieces, and he was hunched over the remains, crying. My dad used it as an opportunity to teach me about curves and speed.